Several Different Holiday Stories
by Angelamermaid
Summary: I'll be putting lots of one-shot vignettes here, that don't belong in other stories, each based on a holiday. Some chapters will contain original characters from my other stories.
1. Unbearable

_Christmas Eve_

"Hello, we're here!" Meredith Grey opens the door to the house and shouts out her greeting.

"Come on in," Cristina grumbles from the couch, rubbing her swollen pregnant belly.

"Hi Cristina!" Lexie appears behind Meredith. "How is Mum – how are you?"

"Ready to cut myself open to get off of bed rest," Cristina scowls. "What do you have?"

The guests hold out arms full of parcels. "We found some packages on your front porch!" Lexie beams.

"Lemme see," Cristina motions. They pile the packages by the couch.

Cristina picks up the first one and reads the label. "This one's from Alex to Baby Yang-Hunt. I bet it's a beer bong."

"I think he'd wait until McBaby is in junior high," Meredith laughs, settling on the couch next to Cristina, rubbing her own pregnant belly.

"And this one came from 'Uncle Mark' in Los Angeles." Cristina sighs as Lexie's face falls. "Sorry, Lex."

"It's okay," Lexie mutters, settling on a chair. "I bet his wife picked it out. It's probably really tacky."

Cristina picks up the next package. Her face grows angry when she reads the return address. "_Teddy_? Teddy sent _my_ baby a present?"

"Oh boy." Meredith and Lexie exchange glances.

Cristina rips the parcel open and reads the tag. "Oh. My. God. 'With love from Auntie Teddy'. '_Auntie Teddy_'? She is _not_ 'Auntie Teddy' to _my_ baby!"

"But I thought you and Teddy parted on good terms?" Lexie asks cautiously.

"We did," Cristina acknowledges. "But I never said she could be 'Auntie Teddy.' I need to see this."

"Cristina!" Meredith protests, as her friend starts to unwrap the present.

"I'm being careful, so I can wrap it up again," Cristina says. She carefully removes the wrapping paper and opens the box. Her face contorts in disgust as she looks inside.

"What is it?" Lexie asks, craning her head. Meredith leans over, looks inside the box, and starts to laugh.

"It's. A. Bear." Cristina informs Lexie. "She sent my child a teddy bear."

Meredith whoops with laughter while Cristina seethes.

"Oh!" Lexie says. "A teddy bear from Auntie Teddy."

"She is not Auntie Teddy!" Cristina lightly smacks Meredith's arm. "Stop laughing!"

"The bow!" Meredith shrieks, pointing inside the box.

"What about the bow?" Lexie asks.

Cristina sighs and holds up the bear. It is large and plush and has a bright plaid ribbon tied in a bow around its neck.

Lexie tries to suppress a giggle. "That's … so … not your style."

Cristina shakes her head and shoves the bear back into the box. She holds out the present to Lexie. "Get rid of this."

"Um what?" Lexie looks confused as Meredith laughs.

"Burn it. Throw it in the harbour. Get it out of my house," Cristina orders Lexie.

"But – but!" Lexie looks helplessly at Meredith.

"I'm too tired and pregnant to be throwing anything in the harbour," Meredith tells her sister.

"I don't get it," Lexie says.

Cristina draws in a deep breath. "Okay, yes, she was an excellent mentor to me. I would not be the awesomely supreme Cardio Goddess I am without her. She pushed me and challenged me and taught me, and I will always be grateful for that."

"So …?"

"So … she was also in love with Owen, and she crossed boundary lines. And now, she is declaring herself to be 'Auntie Teddy' to our baby," Cristina scowls.

Lexie nods. "I think I see …"

"If I had her stupid bear in my house, every time I looked at the bear, I would not remember my mentor. I would remember the woman who tried to steal _my_ Owen, and it would make me mad."

"And Cristina is on bed rest so she can keep her blood pressure down or she'll risk pre-eclampsia," Meredith reminds her sister. "She can't get mad every time that she looks at the bear. Do you want her to die because you didn't throw the bear in the harbour?"

"But – but – what if she asks if you like the present?" Lexie asks.

"We didn't get the parcel," Cristina insists. "It must have 'gotten lost' in the mail. Get it out of my house. NOW!"

"Um, okay." Lexie scrunches up her face. "It seems a shame to waste a perfectly good—"

"I said NOW!" Cristina yells.

"Okay!" Lexie stands up.

"Take the wrapping paper too," Meredith suggests. "Remove all of the evidence."

Lexie obediently gathers up the present and the gift wrapping. Sighing, she puts on her shoes and takes the parcel outside. She opens the trunk of her car, intending to put the package inside.

"Hey, Lexie." She whirls around to see Owen getting out of his truck.

"Oh, hi," she says, holding the package close.

"I can take the package in for you if you like," he offers.

"Um – it's – the wrong size," Lexie says lamely. "It's – too big!"

Owen frowns. "That's okay. We can exchange it or put it away until later." He reaches for it, and she hugs it closer.

He looks surprised. "What's wrong?"

Lexie opens her mouth, then grimaces. "Your wife is crazy."

"I know," he smiles. "What did she do now?"

She gulps. "She told me to take this present and throw it into the harbour because it's from Teddy."

Owen laughs. "That sounds like Cristina."

"It's a teddy bear from 'Auntie Teddy,' and she flipped," Lexie explains. "I was going to donate the bear to the nursery at the hospital instead of throwing it out."

He nods. "I really don't think it should go anywhere near Seattle Grace. I think if Cristina wants it gone, get it as far away from her as possible. Donate it to kids in Mexico if you can't destroy it."

"Okay. And FYI - the bear 'never arrived.' It got 'lost in the mail,'" Lexie informs Owen.

"And this conversation never happened," he assures her. "I got out of the truck and did not see you sticking a parcel in your trunk."

"Good," Lexie exhales. She looks at Owen. "How do you put up with Cristina on bed rest?"

"We've worked it out," he smiles. "And now that she's full-term, I pray every day for labour to start."

"Then, I'll pray for that too," Lexie smiles.


	2. In the Midnight Hour

_New Year's Eve_

Twelve-year-old Mallory Hunt had lobbied very hard to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Her parents were throwing a party at their house, and she insisted that she couldn't possibly go to bed early like she was a child. She was practically a teenager after all.

Giving in, her parents had permitted her to stay up, under the conditions that she must behave herself with the guests, she must not pester her sister, and she had to be in bed by 12:15 with no excuses.

So here she was, at her first grown-up party, on New Year's Eve. She was wearing her favourite dark green velvet dress that perfectly complimented her long red hair - and she was _bored_.

All the adults wanted to do was talk with each other. She had tried to join in, but it was all hospital stuff that she did not know or care about. If she tried to talk about her favourite sports team or something that wasn't medical, they'd smile patiently, but she could tell they weren't taking her seriously. Like she was a child or something.

Mallory had hoped she could at least hang out with the Shepherd kids, but they weren't here yet, as their parents had been detained at the hospital. Her older sister, Chloe, told her to leave her alone before she had locked herself up in her room to play on her computer. Their little brother, Diego, was sound asleep in his bed.

_If I had known grown-up parties were so boring_, Mallory thought, _I'd never have asked to stay up late for this one._

She had tried to pass around trays to help the caterers, but they got mad. Finally Mallory gave up on trying to socialize and sat at the bottom of the stairs off to the side. She pulled out her phone and communicated with her friends until they all had to go to bed. Her parents each sat with her for a bit, but they were very busy hosting their party.

So she sat and observed the talking and wondered what the big deal was about New Year's Eve. It certainly was not very interesting, not like Christmas or Halloween.

Mallory sighed. She was glad the holiday season was almost over. She loved everything about Christmas Day: waking up early for presents, helping her father in the kitchen, having a huge yummy supper together. But secretly, she was jealous that both of her siblings had birthdays at this time of year. She knew that her parents always gave them extra birthday presents to make up for friends and family overlooking their special days. It was unfair that she, Mallory Hunt, had been born in September, when there was nothing special going on at all. She did not get extra presents on her birthday. _So unfair_.

Close to midnight, one of her friends texted her. Engrossed in her phone, she barely heard the Shepherds arriving. Mallory stood up and smoothed her dress, preparing to go greet them.

"Where's Chloe?" JoJo Shepherd walked up to her and ran her fingers through her sleek blonde hair, looking disdainfully at Mallory's dress.

"In her room," Mallory said, forcing a smile, as JoJo walked past her. She didn't want to get sent to her room for rudeness, especially not so close to midnight. Surely midnight was when things would get interesting. She started to make her way through the crowd to where the other Shepherds were.

"Hey Robbie, gonna say hi to Chloe?" She heard Uncle Derek and rolled her eyes. Ever since Chloe had been a baby, Uncle Derek had tried to match her with his son. It was a very old joke and everyone but he was tired of it.

"Hi Mallory!" Auntie Meredith appeared in front of her and kissed her forehead. "You look very pretty in that dress."

"Thank you, so do you." Mallory beamed up at one of her favourite people. Lots of people wanted to greet Meredith, so she excused herself and crept back to her spot on the stairs. She wanted to avoid Uncle Derek and his tired jokes.

"Mallory?"

She looked up at the head of the stairs, where her little brother was crouched. Diego was wearing his pajamas and his black hair was tousled. He looked very sleepy.

"What are you doing up?" Mallory asked, going upstairs. "What's wrong?"

"I can't sleep," he yawned. "Too noisy."

"They're just talking," Mallory said, sitting down next to him. He leaned against her shoulder and they watched the people mingling at the bottom of the stairs for a few minutes.

"It's almost midnight!" Cristina yelled. "Find someone to kiss!"

"What happens at midnight?" Diego asked, lying down so that his head was resting in her lap.

"You count down to midnight, and then you kiss someone, and then it's the New Year," Mallory explained. She sighed. Here she was, at her first grown-up party, and the only person to kiss at midnight was her six-year-old brother. Who was falling asleep in her lap.

A familiar figure wandered to the bottom of the stairs, looking lost.

"Hey Robbie," Mallory called out softly.

Robbie Shepherd turned and looked up at her. He flicked on the light at the bottom of the stairs, so he could see them clearly.

"Hi!" He grinned and Mallory felt a queer feeling in her chest.

"TEN!" The partygoers shouted.

Robbie bounded up the stairs, his wavy black hair falling across his eyes. "Why are you sitting up here with Diego?"

"NINE!"

"He couldn't sleep," she explained.

"EIGHT!"

Robbie looked like he was searching for anything to say to her. "That's a pretty dress you have," he told her.

"SEVEN!"

Mallory glowed as she looked up at his bright blue eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, suddenly shy. She had known Robbie all of her life, but it was like she was seeing him for the first time.

"SIX!"

He smiled down at her. Mentally, she was doing the math. He was sixteen now – he was just being nice to her because she was a family friend.

"FIVE!"

She smiled up at him, blushing. _Have his eyes always been that blue? _

"FOUR!"

They could hear excited giggling coming from Chloe's room, where their sisters were.

"THREE!"

"I want to kiss the prettiest girl at the party at midnight," Robbie smiled.

"TWO!"

Mallory felt disappointment. He was going to leave and kiss Chloe.

"ONE!"

Robbie leaned over and kissed Mallory on her cheek.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

"Happy New Year, Hurricane Mallory," Robbie said quietly.

She beamed up at him. "Happy New Year, Robbie." She felt curiously faint.

Loud squeals came from Chloe's room as the party downstairs erupted in noise. Diego stirred and put his hands over his ears. Mallory looked at Robbie, and they both chuckled.

"Happy New Year!" Owen and Cristina appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Shhh," Diego said sleepily. His parents laughed as they came upstairs.

"Time for this little guy to go back to bed," Owen said, reaching down and picking up Diego.

Cristina looked at Mallory. "And it's almost time-"

"I know!" Mallory hissed, blushing furiously. "I'm not a baby!" She quickly glanced at Robbie.

That small gesture was not lost on Cristina, who suppressed a smile. "I know, Mal," she said, bending over to kiss her daughter on her forehead. "Do you want to come downstairs and get something to drink first?"

"Okay," she smiled, standing up and smoothing her dress.

Chloe's door burst open. Chloe and JoJo spilled out, laughing.

"Out of my way, Hurricane," JoJo said, bumping against Mallory as they ran downstairs. Mallory pursed her lips and said nothing.

"It's like she was raised by wolves," Robbie told Mallory, who grinned at him.

"Come on, Mallory," Cristina said, wrapping an arm around Mallory's slim shoulders. She obediently went downstairs with her mother and had one last glass of ginger ale, watching the adults laugh and hug each other.

"Isn't it your bedtime?" JoJo smirked as she and Chloe came over to have some ginger ale.

"Almost," Mallory replied primly. "Happy Birthday, Chloe."

"Thanks!" Her sister grinned, and Mallory smiled.

"It's so stupid that your birthday is on New Year's Day," JoJo told Chloe. "Nobody wants to do anything then so you're never going to have a good party on your actual birthday."

"Yeah, Mallory is the lucky one." Chloe smiled at her little sister. "_You_ get to have the great birthday parties because there's nothing else going on at that time of year."

"I never thought of it that way," Mallory mused. "I'm always jealous that you guys get extra birthday presents from Mom and Dad because most people don't want to buy you two presents."

"That's true," Chloe laughed.

"Come on, Chloe," JoJo said, tugging her friend's arm. "Let's go talk to some grown-ups."

Mallory rolled her eyes and drank the last of her ginger ale as the older girls walked away.

"Well?" Cristina appeared by her side. "Did you like your first grown-up party?"

Mallory shrugged. "I thought it was going to be more exciting."

"Wait until you're older," Cristina chuckled. "When you _want_ to kiss someone at midnight."

"Robbie kissed me," Mallory blurted out. "On the cheek."

Cristina appraised Mallory as she blushed furiously. "That was sweet of him," she told her daughter.

"Yeah, I didn't want to kiss Diego," Mallory grinned.

"I can see that," her mother laughed.

"Ahem!" Owen smiled as he approached, pointing to his watch.

"She knows," Cristina told him. "She's just finishing her drink."

"I'm not a baby," Mallory muttered.

"I know, kiddo," he said. "I've got my baseball bat all ready for when you turn thirteen, and I have to fight the boys off."

"Dad!"

"He's not joking," Cristina said, stroking her daughter's long red hair.

"I know," Mallory sighed dramatically. "I know all about the barbed wire fence he's going to put up and how he's going to perform a criminal background check of every date and how I'm basically never going to be allowed to have any fun at all until I'm 18."

"You've been paying attention!" Owen grinned. "A small correction – you're not allowed to have fun until you graduate from medical school."

"Oh that's easy," Mallory smirked. "I'm sure I could find some online school that will give me a diploma."

Cristina laughed as Owen shook his head in amusement. "Better start ordering the barbed wire now," she informed her husband.

"She gets that from you," Owen sighed, as Mallory put down her cup.

"I'm going to bed now," she informed her parents. "See? Not a baby." She quickly hugged them and then marched up the stairs on her own. Quickly, she changed her clothes and got ready for bed. She crawled under the covers and laid her head down on the pillow, feeling tired

Her left hand curled up against her cheek, where she could still feel Robbie's kiss. She smiled and closed her eyes, ready for a new year.


	3. A Family Tradition

_Christmas Day_

"Dr Bailey?" A nurse stands in the doorway of the operating room. "It's the parents again –"

"The surgery is progressing well," Dr Bailey says curtly. "Give us a few more hours and they will see their son, all put together again."

"Okay." The nurse leaves.

"What time is it?" Cristina asks, her eyes trained on her work.

"6:05 am," a nurse replies.

Dr Bailey spares a brief glance at Dr Yang. "I suppose your kids are still asleep?"

"Uh uh." Cristina speaks behind her surgical mask. "It's one of Owen's traditions. The kids can wake us up at 6 to open presents."

"6 o'clock? What are they going to do today, wait for you?"

"Nope. Before I left the house, I told Owen to start without me."

Cristina's mind flashes back to the argument they'd had, after she'd gotten the page two hours earlier.

_"It's Christmas," Owen protested, sitting up in their bed as she rolled out of it, clutching her pager._

_"It's an important surgery," Cristina replied. She looked at him and sighed. "I told you, go ahead and open presents without me."_

_"It's our tradition."_

_Her face grows hard. "Don't ask me to stay."_

_"I won't," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I promised I would never do that again, and I have kept that promise, haven't I?"_

_"True," Cristina acknowledged, pulling on some jeans._

_"But …" He sighed. "Do you ever consider … staying to be with the family? Our family?"_

_She looked at him for a long moment. "No."_

Bailey glances at Cristina. "So right about now, they're waking Owen up?"

"He was probably the first one awake," Cristina replies. "I'd say, he's going into Diego's room now."

"I remember Diego!" The anesthesiologist grins. "How is he doing?"

"He is doing just great," Cristina smiles. "His third birthday was yesterday. Owen set up a train-themed party. It was crazy."

"He's a lucky boy, adopted by you two," a nurse chimes in.

"Yeah, he is," Cristina agrees. "He's spoiled. They all are."

"Including the Hurricane?" Bailey asks, a teasing note in her voice.

Cristina chuckles. "Yes. Mallory is probably bouncing around right now, yelling at everyone to move faster. She will be the first to open a present."

"She's nine now, right?"

"Right. After presents, she will help Grandma Hunt in the kitchen."

"And what about Chloe? What is she doing?" Bailey asks.

"She's probably waking my stepfather up. Chloe will make sure the presents are passed around so that nobody is just sitting there. I imagine Owen will have to remind her to open her own presents. She will also make sure my stepfather is kept entertained."

"That child has an old soul."

"Yes, she does." Cristina smiles as she thinks of her older daughter, soft-spoken and so mature for her age.

"Such a shame you have to miss it, Dr Yang," one of the residents says.

Cristina says nothing, remembering the rest of the argument.

_"Not once?" Owen asked. "Not once have you ever thought, 'I should spend more time with my family?'"_

_"Don't you do this," she hissed at him. "Don't you dare try to make me feel guilty about answering the page. Christmas is_ your_ holiday, okay? I don't do religious holidays; I go along with Christmas because of you. I haven't worked one Christmas in eleven years because of pregnancy and you and the kids. Today, I'm choosing surgery. Deal with it." And with that, she stormed out of the room._

"Dr Yang?" Bailey peers at her. "I'm asking you a question about this artery here."

"Sorry, Cristina says, shaking her head. "I was … thinking about Christmas morning."

"Hard not to," Miranda says quietly.

* * *

Cristina briskly enters the scrub room, pulling off her gloves. She checks the clock dispassionately. 10:31 am.

"You haven't missed all of Christmas," Bailey notes, behind her. "And we just made Christmas special for that little boy and his family."

"I know," Cristina replies, hurriedly washing her arms. "It's okay. Owen and the kids are the ones really into Christmas."

"Well, enjoy what you can of the day."

"You too."

* * *

Cristina drives the nearly empty streets of Seattle. Outwardly she is calm. Inwardly, her thoughts are churning.

She thinks of Christmas mornings in the past. Of being woken up at unspeakably early hours, because of the Hunt family tradition. She recalls groggily clutching a mug of coffee while everyone else was tearing into packages. She remembers giggling children and happy faces and sweet kisses under the mistletoe.

Her hands grip the steering wheel. "Why did I tell him not to wait?" Cristina wonders aloud.

* * *

With minimal traffic, she gets home quicker than usual. Sighing, Cristina enters the house. She notes the delicious smells coming from the kitchen – Owen's mother can be heard chattering in that direction.

"Mom!" Chloe comes running to the door, flinging her gangly arms around her. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas." Cristina grins as she smooths Chloe's unruly hair, so much like her own. Her older daughter smiles shyly up at her.

"MOM'S HOME!" Red hair flying, Mallory tackles her out of nowhere.

Cristina chuckles. "Merry Christmas, Hurricane."

Mallory grins and wriggles with excitement. "Now we can open our presents!"

"What?" Cristina looks up and sees Owen walking towards her, holding a squirmy Diego.

"We waited for you," he informs her with a soft smile. "We couldn't have Christmas without you."

Cristina chuckles as the girls pull her coat off of her. She reaches for the black-haired boy reaching for her from his father's arms. "Oof!" She holds Diego close. "_How_ did you keep the kids from opening the presents?"

"They opened their stockings," Owen smiles. "Mallory's been helping Mom and Saul has been playing video games with them all morning."

"Ah ha." Cristina puts Diego down. "Girls, take your brother into the living room. We'll be in there very soon."

"Okay." Chloe grabs Diego's hands and walks him away, as Mallory bounces out of the foyer, shrieking for the grandparents to come open presents.

"How was the surgery?" Owen asks quietly.

"Good," Cristina replies, putting her arms around his neck. "Thank you for waiting to open presents," she whispers. "I regretted telling you to go ahead."

His face softens as he wraps his arms around her. "We're a family, Cristina. We couldn't do it without you."

"Merry Christmas, Owen." She kisses him, hungrily, eager to feel harmony instead of discord. He grunts happily, one hand sliding down to cup her bottom.

"_Come on_," Mallory grumbles, returning to the foyer. "You _said_-"

"I know what I said," Owen grins. "I was just giving your mother an extra gift."

Their daughter rolls her eyes. "Now can we have Christmas?"

"Now we can, all of us," Cristina laughs, as Owen takes her hand. "Let's do it."


	4. Thanksgiving

Diego Hunt groans as he stumbles down the stairs, rubbing his eyes. His mother is camped out on the couch, making notes on her laptop, surrounded by papers and medical journals.

Cristina looks up at him and smirks. "I know. Mornings suck."

"Uh huh." The teenager sits down beside her and yawns. "Are you _still _working on your FDA application?"

"Yes."

"But it's Thanksgiving."

"But I'm going to save lives," she mutters. "I am determined to finish this by lunch and before this becomes a football party zone."

"About time you got up, sleepyhead." Mallory sticks her head out of the kitchen and grins. "Your breakfast will be ready soon. Assuming you want your usual."

"Yeah."

"Okay." She flips her long red braid over a shoulder, and disappears into the kitchen.

"They should really move back to Seattle," Cristina muses. "I could use a live-in chef."

"I can hear you!" Mallory calls out. "Not happening!"

"I gave you life!" Cristina shouts back.

"Where is everyone?" Diego rubs his eyes.

"Your dad went to the airport to pick up Chloe, and then they'll get Grandma, and Rob is spending some time with his parents. They'll be here for lunch."

"Diego, come get your breakfast!" Mallory yells.

The tall teenager walks into the kitchen. His sister points to a plate on the counter. "There's your omelet and fruit. The milk is in the fridge."

"Thanks." He grabs a glass out of cupboard, trying to stay out of his sister's way as she moves back and forth, between the stove and several pots and bowls.

"I suppose there is no point in telling you to relax," Diego says. "You take holiday meals too seriously."

"It's not just about the food," she informs him, brushing her red bangs out of her eyes. "This is a family gathering. Everything has to be _perfect_."

"Mallory, can I get a refill?" Cristina yells.

"Coming!" Mallory starts pouring a cup of coffee.

Diego puts the milk away. "So will you and Rob be here for Christmas?"

"Uh huh," she says. "I've already begged my boss for time off."

"Good." Diego smells the air appreciatively. "The turkey smells great."

"I know! It's the best smelling turkey ever! Everything smells so good today."

"Yes, you're a Culinary Goddess." Diego grins at her before carrying his breakfast into the living room.

"Do not mess up my system," Cristina warns him, pointing to the piles of paper. Mallory hands her a mug of coffee.

"How come I had to get my own milk, but you'll get coffee for Mom?" Diego teases, carefully setting his breakfast down away from his mother's work.

"She 'gave me life'," Mallory winks, before returning to the kitchen.

Diego chews on his breakfast, watching the kitchen. He notices Mallory rub the small of her back a few times. "You need any help, Mal?"

"No!"

"Aren't you helpful," Cristina observes. "What do you want from her?"

"I was raised by Owen Hunt," he grins. "I am programmed to serve the womenfolk, and I'm taller than her now."

"Good boy."

He picks up the remote. Cristina glares at him.

"What, I can't watch the parade?" Diego asks.

"Watch it in our room," she tells him. "Clean up after yourself first."

"Okay." He picks up his dishes and goes into the kitchen, trying to avoid Mallory.

"What are you doing?" She asks.

"Putting away my dishes like a good son," he sighs.

"While you are here ..." She spoons some green bean casserole onto a plate. "Taste this."

He samples it and makes a face. "It's too salty."

"Really?" She looks puzzled. "I can barely taste the salt, even after adding extra."

"Seriously? It's raising my blood pressure and I'm 16." He looks at her. "Are you pregnant?"

"What?" Mallory frowns. "Why would you say that?"

He shrugs. "Isn't that one of the symptoms? Food tasting weird?"

She looks confused. "That's not funny."

"I wasn't trying to be funny." He puts down the plate. "Don't you want a baby? You've been married for what, three years?"

"I'm not going to have a baby any time soon," she replies, picking up some yams. "That's not part of the plan. I will have one later, when we are more financially settled."

"You and your plans."

"Don't mock me just because I have ambition," she smiles. "You don't get to be a Culinary Goddess by wishing to be one. You have to work for it."

"Yes, _Mom_."

She laughs and throws a potato peel at him. "What do you have planned today?"

"I'm grounded," he informs her. "So … not much. I was thinking of going for a run before the Seahawks game, I'm allowed to do that."

"_You're _grounded?" Mallory snorts. "What did you do?"

"I stayed out past curfew a few times," he shrugs. "Last week, I meant to only pick up a new game, then I ran into these girls I know and I went to a movie with them and before I knew it, it was midnight."

"Oh oh," she laughs. "I thought I was the only juvenile delinquent in the family."

"I got a _lot _of catching up to do to match your exploits," he grins. "None of the local police know my name, for example."

"I was hanging with the wrong crowd," Mallory says primly. "It was all their fault."

"Uh huh." Diego chews as he watches her. "And now you're a respectable married woman with a job and everything."

"That is true."

"And you're not pregnant?"

"I don't think so." Mallory looks puzzled, and then her eyes widen. "Oh – no. No."

"What?"

"I had a period over Labor Day weekend," she says slowly. "I had to borrow a tampon from my friend."

"Did I ask to know that?" He makes a disgusted face.

"I must have had one since then …"

"This is why I don't have friends over," he mutters. "They can't stand listening to medical information all of the time."

"Mom!" Mallory scurries into the living room. "I … uh ..."

Cristina looks up, impatiently. "What?"

"She might be pregnant," Diego says.

"Tell him I'm not!" Mallory frantically points to her brother. "Tell him to stop saying that!"

Cristina looks at Diego. "What are the symptoms?"

"Her sense of smell is acute and she can't taste the cup of salt in the green beans and she apparently hasn't had a period since Labor Day."

"And you were rubbing the small of your back earlier ..." Cristina sighs and looks at Mallory. "Oh god, here comes the Hurricane. Stop freaking out. Not now."

"I … can … not … be … pregnant!" She starts pacing.

"Then go to the drugstore and get a test," her mother tells her. "Put your mind at ease."

"How … can … I … ?" Mallory gestures helplessly.

Cristina looks at Diego. "Would you go to the drugstore and get a pregnancy test?"

"No!" Her son protests. "I am _not_ going to the store for _that_. Plus, I'm grounded."

"Please Diego," Mallory asks. "I can't go."

"No!"

Mallory turns to her mother with a hopeful look.

"Call Rob," Cristina tells her daughter. "I don't have time for this."

"No!" Mallory shrieks. "We … we can't afford this. I can't ask him!"

"Then – call Chloe or your father."

"But I ... don't even ..." Mallory balls her hands up into fists. "This is not happening!"

Cristina sits back. "What have you been using for birth control?"

Mallory sighs heavily. "Well - I don't have a health plan at work and Rob's a medical student, so condoms, but you know, sometimes we forget to pick some up and we're in the mood …"

"And you're insisting that you can't be pregnant?" Diego asks.

"Mallory ..." Cristina looks at her daughter with a mixture of frustration and compassion. "_Why _didn't you ask us for more money so you could afford the pill?"

"We want to be more independent," Mallory says quietly. "Yes, you and Dad and the Shepherds never turn us down, but we're tired of having to ask!"

"Okay." Cristina turns to her son and clears her throat. "Name your price to go with your sister to the store and help her buy a pregnancy test. I will unground you for this trip, it counts as 'serving the womenfolk'."

He stares at her for a long second. "I want the _Call of Duty: Martian Wars III _game that Dad won't buy for me."

"Why won't he buy it?"

"He thinks it's too violent. When the Martians die they explode and there are Martian guts everywhere."

Cristina blinks. "You're going to be a vet, you have to get used to blood and gore."

"Exactly!" He grins at her. "That's my price."

"Just keep her out of the house until I finish my application," his mother nods, reaching for her purse. "And I'll give you money for a test."

"I am preparing Thanksgiving supper!" Mallory points out. "I can't go!"

"You're not preparing anything while you're standing in the living room having one of your moments!" Cristina retorts. "The nearest drugstore is 10 minutes away. Can you drive or should I call a cab?"

Mallory sighs dramatically. "I can drive!"

"My keys are by the front door."

"Diego, get dressed," Mallory snaps.

He runs upstairs and quickly changes. When he returns, Mallory is pacing in the foyer, breathing heavily.

"Slow down your breathing," he advises Mallory. "You're going to hyperventilate."

"I. Can. Not. Be. Pregnant." Mallory seethes. She grabs the keys, then promptly drops them.

"You can't drive, not while you're freaking out," Diego observes, noticing how badly Mallory's hands are shaking as she picks the keys up. "Can't it wait?"

"No!"

"Oh, I am not going anywhere with you in that condition," her brother counters. "Unless you let me drive."

"You're grounded."

"We don't have to tell Dad I drove," he grins.

"No! Lying is wrong."

"You're sounding like a mom already," he laughs.

"_Stop it!_" Mallory is shrill.

"Diego!" Cristina yells from the living room. "Shut up and go earn your game!"

He sighs and opens the front door for his sister.

"This is the wrong time, this can't be happening," Mallory mutters, stomping to Cristina's car. She looks up and sees people in the next driveway. "Shhh!"

"Hi Mr Farber!" Diego waves at an older man, being assisted into his car by a young and muscular man.

"Hello!" Their older neighbor waves. "Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Are you guys able to come over this weekend?" Diego asks, as he holds the driver's door open for Mallory.

"No, we're going to Spokane, we'll be back late Sunday."

"Okay, have a safe trip." Diego gets into the car.

"I have two questions," Mallory states. "Since when are you so friendly with Mr Farber, and _who _is that hot guy that was helping him?"

"We've been looking out for Mr Farber since his wife died," Diego replies. "His daughter and son-in-law just moved in with him. The hunky guy is his grandson, he sometimes visits Seattle."

"Oh."

Diego grins. "Dad has been trying to arrange it so that Chloe 'just happens' to meet the grandson. That's why I asked if they could come over. Dad's going to be mad that they just missed each other."

"Hee!" Mallory snickers. "Papa Bear is _matchmaking_!" Her smile fades. "Let's go see if he's Grandpapa Bear."

* * *

At the pharmacy, they stare at the many brands of pregnancy tests.

"I don't know which one to get," Mallory mutters. "Which one is the best?"

"I don't know," Diego replies. "I've never bought one before. Maybe you should get one of each?"

"I can't afford that!" Mallory snaps. "Sorry."

"How about that one?" Diego points to a box. "It has a rabbit on it. You like cute things like bunnies."

"We are talking about a potential human life," Mallory protests. "This is important, Diego. You can't pick out a pregnancy test based on whether or not there is a _bunny _on the package!"

"I'm going to get a clerk," he informs her. "Because you're crazy." He walks away and pulls out his phone, speed-dialing his brother-in-law.

"What's up?" Rob answers.

"Hurricane Mallory is category 5 approaching landfall," Diego says quietly. "I can't tell you why. We're at a store and will be home in about 20 minutes. You need to be there as soon as possible."

"I'm leaving now."

Diego nods and disconnects the call, looking for a clerk. With some reluctance, he approaches a teenage girl stocking a shelf. "I ... my sister … needs some help choosing a pregnancy test."

"Sister." The clerk stares at him. "Right."

"No, really." He guides her to the aisle where Mallory is starting to frantically pace.

"She doesn't look like your sister," the clerk observes, looking from Diego to Mallory.

"I'm adopted," he sighs. "Just tell us which one gets reliable results fast."

* * *

Rob Shepherd enters the Hunt house apprehensively, with his parents behind him. He sees Diego sprawled on a couch, checking his phone, while Cristina is packing up her papers.

"Upstairs bathroom," is all Diego says.

"Hey Diego," Derek says, holding a plate of cookies. "We thought we'd come over early too. What's the emergency?"

"Can't say," Diego says, not looking up from his phone. "Hey, want to help me figure out how to make Thanksgiving supper?"

"Why isn't Mallory cooking?" Meredith asks.

"She is having a crisis," Cristina announces.

"Ah."

Rob bounds up the stairs and knocks on the bathroom door. "Mallory?"

She pulls open the door, crying. He frowns. "What's wrong, babe?"

She leans against his chest. "The bunny test is positive."

"The what?'

She pulls back and hands him a stick. He immediately recognizes it. "Positive. You said positive. This is a pregnancy test. It's positive."

"Uh huh," she whimpers, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Rob puts his arms around her and stands there, stunned. He feels a mixture of emotions – elation, fear, worry. He absently strokes Mallory's hair.

"I wanted to tell you first," she whispers.

"Thank you."

"I'm terrified."

"Me too," Rob sighs.

* * *

Owen helps his mother into the Hunt house, while Chloe carries in some pies He glances in the living room, where Cristina is signing some papers. "Was Diego driving your car?"

"What?" His son comes out of the kitchen. "No. I'm grounded."

"it's not parked in the usual spot."

"Mallory drove it," Diego says. "Can you come into the kitchen? We need help."

Owen tilts his head curiously. "That doesn't smell like Mallory's cooking."

They enter the kitchen, where Meredith and Derek are consulting a cookbook. Diego picks up a potato and resumes peeling it.

"Where's Mallory?" Chloe asks, looking at the chaotic mess all around the kitchen.

"Upstairs," Diego says very casually. "With Rob."

"Why are they upstairs? Mallory's supposed to be cooking," Owen frowns.

"They're not having sex, are they?" Chloe smirks.

Diego rolls his eyes. "I doubt it."

"Why did Mallory take the car?" Owen asks. "It's Thanksgiving."

"There was something that she needed from the store," Cristina says, standing beside him.

"They're not telling us anything," Derek informs Owen.

Meredith nods. "All we know is that Mallory is upstairs having a crisis."

"Owen, check the turkey," Derek requests. "Does it look pale to you?"

Owen peers into the oven. "It looks okay. But these yams are ruined," he observes, pointing to a pot on the stove.

His mother slowly enters the kitchen, and everyone clears a path for her and her walker. "I'm sure we can salvage the dinner."

"Hi," Mallory says softly, appearing in the kitchen, with Rob behind her. Her face is tear-stained.

The adults stare at her as Diego smiles quietly.

"I'm, um, pregnant," Mallory informs them, as Rob squeezes her shoulders.

Derek smiles as Meredith gasps. Beaming, Owen puts an arm around Cristina, who is watching Mallory carefully.

Mallory looks down at the floor. Then at her brother. "What are you doing?" She asks Diego.

"I was just trying to be helpful," he shrugs, gesturing to the half-peeled potato in his hand.

"You're doing it wrong," she sighs. "Stop trying to be helpful."

"Oh, _I'll stop_," Diego sighs, putting down the peeler. "I have been nothing _but_ helpful since I got out of bed. I have been dealing with _you_. 'Oh my god, Diego, don't say I might be pregnant, Oh my god, I might be pregnant, Diego. Go get me a pregnancy test, Diego. Go with me to the drug store, Diego. Help me pick out a pregnancy test, Diego. No, not that one, it has _bunnies_'."

Frustrated, he points at Mallory. "_You are ungrateful_. I helped you buy a pregnancy test from a clerk that thinks I knocked up my sister. I tried to salvage supper while you had another meltdown. I have had _enough _of you today!"

Diego then looks at Rob. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Rob smiles, as the others try to stifle their laughter.

Mallory glares at her family, and then her in-laws. "Stop smiling like that, _Dad_. You too, _Derek_."

"We can't," Owen grins. "We're going to be grandfathers."

"And you _are _'ungrateful'," Derek chortles. "Your poor brother!"

"I think this is lovely news," Grandma Hunt smiles.

"Yes!" Chloe grins widely. "I'm going to be an auntie!" She approaches her sister for a hug, but Mallory scowls and crosses her arms defiantly.

"Derek," Meredith says. "Stop smiling. This is serious."

"You too," Cristina says softly, elbowing her husband.

Owen sighs, and rubs his beard, willing himself to appear anything but happy. He turns to Diego. "Did you say that you went to the store with her while you were grounded?"

"_I have had enough of everyone!_" Diego yells. "Mom _bribed _me to go with her!"

"I'm _kidding!_" Owen chortles, clapping his son on the shoulder, while everyone laughs. "I can only imagine what shopping with Mallory for a pregnancy test is like. You're ungrounded. You've suffered enough."

Diego grins widely. "Thanks Dad!"

"Everyone out of the kitchen," Mallory mutters, rolling up her sleeves. "I've got a meal to prepare."

"Let's get ready to watch the game," Owen suggests, gesturing to the living room.

As the kitchen empties, Cristina moves to stand beside Mallory. "I'm staying."

"Me too," Mrs Hunt announces. "I'll just sit over here, I can peel and chop."

"Thank you Grandma," Mallory sighs, looking around the kitchen. She peers at the ruined yams and frowns.

"You were a surprise," Cristina says quietly. "I did not want to have two children so close together. It took a year of heavy sex to conceive Chloe, and one trip to the Bahamas for you to show up."

"I know the story," Mallory growls. "Thank you so much for reminding me. I feel so much better now. And ew."

"I'm sorry," her mother sighs. "I'm saying it wrong. My point is, you weren't planned, but you were wanted. Very much. You were a good surprise. And it all worked out."

"You were settled," Mallory shoots back. "You were both doctors earning good money. You weren't a medical student and a baker who can't even afford the pill. Maybe things didn't go according to your schedule, but you could afford to have a baby."

Cristina reaches out and strokes her daughter's face. "What do you think you're going to do?"

"I can't have an abortion," Mallory mutters. "That's not for me. But I don't know how we can do this."

"We'll help," Cristina says. "We are doctors earning _very _good money now."

"I don't want help," Mallory says petulantly.

"I know," Cristina says, continuing to stroke her face. "You want all of your grand schemes to come true exactly as you planned, and you want to do it on your own, to prove that you can."

Mallory looks at her, tears forming in her eyes. "Exactly."

"Everyone feels like that," Cristina smiles gently.

Mallory bites her bottom lip. "You may hug me."

Cristina snorts and puts her arms around her daughter, who leans against her.

* * *

After a subdued lunch, Rob tries to coax Mallory into the living room. "Let everyone else cook," he suggests. "Sit down and watch the Seahawks with us. This is their year, I can feel it."

"No, the new coach sucks," she sighs. "Everything sucks."

"We're going to have a cute baby?" He smiles tentatively. "Hey, we need to tell JoJo. She should be up by now."

"Let's go upstairs," she mumbles.

After a few messages, JoJo appears in a video chat window. "Hello! Happy Thanksgiving!"

Mallory waves half-heartedly while Rob smiles. "How is Maui?"

"It's awesome! I'm having a great time, but it sucks not being home for Thanksgiving." She frowns. "What's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant," Mallory mutters. "You're going to be an aunt. Yay."

JoJo looks confused. "I …. thought you wanted kids."

"We do, it's just … not the greatest timing," Rob says, taking Mallory's hand. "I've got to finish my rotations and get an internship."

"And I have a crappy bakery job which I should be grateful for in this economy but I'm not," Mallory complains. "I should be more self-sufficient by now."

"Aw." Her sister-in-law smiles gently. "Well … I'm happy for you. When are you due?"

Mallory shrugs. "I took a test a couple of hours ago. I guess … I'm two months along?" She sits up. "What if it was a false positive? What if we're going through all of this angst over nothing?"

"Do you want to take another pregnancy test?" Rob asks. "I can go to the store."

"We can't afford to keep buying tests," she mutters.

"I'm … going to let you talk about that!" JoJo says. "Say 'hi' to everyone for me, okay?"

"Okay. Love ya." Rob smiles at the webcam, before ending the chat session. He turns to Mallory. "Do your parents have a stethoscope in the house? I could listen for the heartbeat, make sure you're pregnant."

She smiles. "I bet they do!" She jumps up and leaves the room, heading downstairs. "We need a stethoscope," she informs her parents. "We want to check for a heartbeat. In case the test was wrong."

Owen frowns. "You won't be able to hear the heartbeat this early."

She looks impatient. "Can I borrow money to go get another test?"

"I'm calling the hospital," Derek declares, pulling out his phone. "We'll get you a nice ultrasound and confirm the pregnancy."

"You're going to make some tech do an ultrasound on Thanksgiving?" Meredith asks.

"It's our first grandchild," he smiles. "Yes."

"We'll come with you," Owen tells his daughter.

"No, you won't." She points at the TV. "The Seahawks just scored."

"You're more important than football," he chuckles, standing up to hug her. "And if you let me observe the ultrasound, I'll buy you all the fancy expensive baby furniture that you want."

That makes her smile a little. "I guess I can be bribed."

"I am also prepared to buy you whatever you want," Derek grins. "Just agree to name it after one of my parents."

"See?" Rob smiles. "We'll make this work."

"Do we all have to go to the hospital?" Diego asks. "I want to watch the game."

Mallory snorts. "Looking at my uterus is definitely optional."

* * *

All four parents and Rob squeeze themselves into the room, as the tech spreads jelly on Mallory's stomach. She holds Rob's hand, as the tech starts to probe.

"And here we are," the tech says. The room falls silent.

Rob tilts his head to look at the screen. He frowns. Mallory raises her head and looks at her parents. "Well?"

"Um," is all Owen can say, mesmerized by what he sees.

"What? I'm not pregnant?" She is surprised to feel disappointed.

"Oh, you're definitely pregnant," Cristina says carefully.

"Okay." Mallory smiles tentatively. "How … does it look?"

Meredith swallows. "They look healthy ..."

Mallory stares at her mother-in-law, feeling a growing sense of dread. "You did not just say that," she sputters. "You did not just imply that we're … _having multiples_. Rob!"

He winces as the tech turns the screen so that Mallory can see it. She gasps.

"There are two of them," Rob tells her gently. "See?"

Cristina points to two different spots. "There is Baby A – and that one is Baby B."

"They have separate amniotic sacs," Meredith observes. "They're fraternal twins, not identical."

"Oh," Mallory says softly.

"They look terrific, Mal," Cristina says encouragingly. She awkwardly pats her daughter's hand. "Well done." She looks at Owen, whose eyes are shining. He smiles quietly at her and touches her face.

Derek clears his throat. "If you want to move in with us when the babies come, you can."

"We'll help in any way," Owen adds, gruffly. "You can also move in with us."

"Thanks," Rob acknowledges, taking Mallory's hand. "They look very healthy, Mallory. I saw worse in my Obstetrics rotation."

She gulps. "They look like peanuts."

Their parents chuckle.

"Healthy peanuts," Meredith emphasizes, as the technician moves the probe around.

"This is real," Mallory says slowly. "We're having twins."

"Yes!" Cristina agrees briskly.

Mallory points to the screen. "Those are our babies and they're really growing in me?"

"That's how it works," Owen says, squeezing her hand.

Mallory sighs. "They're … kind of … cute peanuts ..."

Everyone looks at her but remains silent.

She purses her lips. "Okay, I'm happy about this now."

"Really?" Rob chuckles.

"Yeah," Mallory admits. "Why not? We're having peanuts ahead of schedule. It's not the end of the world. And I've realized that we can pit our fathers against each other to see who will buy us the most stuff."

"She's ungrateful _and_ shameless," Derek chuckles, unable to stop looking at the screen.

* * *

"They're beautiful," Chloe breathes, looking at the printout of the ultrasound. "Am I allowed to be happy about being an aunt now?"

"Yes," her sister smiles. "Be prepared to babysit."

"Do you know how far along you are?" Diego asks, peering over Chloe's shoulder.

"9 weeks!" Mallory smiles and hugs her brother. "Thank you for being so patient and _helpful _today." She ruffles his dark hair.

"Stop that!" Laughing, Diego pushes her hands away. "Don't you have a Thanksgiving supper to prepare?"

"Eh, everyone wants me to rest, I'm resting. Dad and Grandma know how to cook." She sits on the couch and turns up the volume on the TV. "Hey, the Seahawks are winning!"

Cristina sits down next to Mallory, and pulls out her laptop. "I've downloaded some pregnancy books for you to read. And we are going to research asthma and pregnancy and go over your medications. You're breathing for three now."

"Mom, I'm trying to watch the game!" Mallory protests.

Her mother blinks. "You've got the next generation of surgical geniuses growing in you, you need to be prepared."

"Can it wait until after supper?"

"I guess." Cristina smiles. "How are you doing? Do you need anything?"

Mallory chuckles and touches her stomach. "Well, I'd love a beer, but that's out of the question. A glass of milk would be nice."

"Good choice." Cristina pauses, then squeezes her daughter's hand. "You're going to be a great mother."

"Thanks," Mallory smiles.

Cristina turns to Diego. "Did you hear your sister? She wants some milk."

He glances at her. "I helped her buy a pregnancy test."

"Owen!"

Her husband sticks his head out of the kitchen. "Yes?"

"Can you get a glass of milk for Mallory?"

"Sure!" He appears a minute later with a glass. "Here you go, hon."

"Thanks Dad."

He smiles softly. "Look at you. My beautiful daughter, all grown up and having babies. I know what I'm giving thanks for today."

Derek appears with another glass of milk, and a plate of cookies. "I thought you might be hungry."

"I like this," Mallory grins. "You two trying to out-grandfather each other. I'm going to have the most spoiled babies ever."

"And the smartest," Cristina adds. "Priorities, Mal."

Meredith emerges from the kitchen. "Gentlemen, I think it's time you set the table."

"How bad is the meal going to be?" Mallory winces.

Her mother-in-law chuckles. "Well, the turkey looks great. Your grandmother is doing a wonderful job of supervising everyone, we'll have a yummy meal. And if it sucks, we have lots of pies. We'll be fine."

"So you're not going to have the perfect Thanksgiving meal," Diego grins at Mallory. "At least this is a memorable one."

"It sure is," she laughs.

_Author's note: I actually wrote the bulk of this a while ago, but it never felt right to publish it. I was going to save it for November. It felt right to dust this off and finish it this week, to hopefully bring a few smiles after last week._


	5. Black Friday

**Black Friday**

The sound of the vacuum cleaner wakes Cristina up. She yawns as she slowly makes her way downstairs. Her younger daughter is vacuuming the living room, with an almost maniacal fervor.

"What are you doing?" Cristina stares.

"Vacuuming," Mallory replies impatiently.

"You? Cleaning? Are you nesting already?" Cristina smirks. "You just found out you were pregnant yesterday."

"With twins!" Frustrated, Mallory turns off the machine and picks up the printout of her ultrasound. "Look at this! Me! Twins! Why?!" She flops down on the couch.

"Apparently you didn't stock up on condoms."

Furious, Mallory points a finger at her. "Not now, Mom."

"Where is everyone?"

"They went for a run. Apparently I was at category 3 while making breakfast and they felt the need to escape."

"Ah." Cristina sits down next to her daughter. "Why are you here? Why aren't you at the malls snapping up bargains?"

Mallory's eyes bug out. "There's no point in buying clothes for me now because I'm going to gain weight. It's too early to buy maternity clothes. It's too early to buy baby things when I don't know if I'm having boys or girls or one of each."

"Must you go by pink or blue?" Cristina sighs. "I thought I brought you up better than that."

"Don't start with me!" Mallory shrieks. "Even if I did want to buy pink or blue stuff we need to save money. Rob and I stayed up late talking about it. I'll have to quit my job because we can't afford day care for twins. Twins. While he's going to be busy as an intern, I'm going to be dealing with twins!"

"Green and yellow are nice colors," her mother says. "That's what I used."

"They'd better be cute," Mallory grumbles, looking at the ultrasound again. "They'd better sleep through the night right away and figure out potty training when they're like a year old."

Her mother chuckles. "It's like you've never met a baby before." Her expression softens. "Of course they'll be cute. I'll be watching for signs of precocious genius, but I'll think they're adorable."

"I can't believe this is happening," the young woman sighs. "Twins. Twins! Me! Having twins!"

"Nobody is ever really ready," Cristina muses. "I'm a double doctor and was astonished at what I didn't know about pregnancy and babies."

"Yeah?"

"Pregnancy was both harder and ... nicer ... than what I expected."

_Cristina stood in the master bedroom of the new house, and looked at her reflection in a full-length mirror. Her hands moved to her swollen belly. The baby was resting, for once._

_She looked tired. Somehow, she'd thought second trimesters were supposed to be the fun months, comparatively speaking. Not for her. After a relatively quiet, first trimester, she now had heartburn and gas, among other unpleasant symptoms._

_Her fingers slowly traced circles on her stomach. As unpleasant as pregnancy could be ... she also found it empowering. It had been her idea to conceive this child and it had been a struggle to do so. It felt triumphant, to be growing an entire human being._

_And the science of pregnancy was fascinating. She devoured medical journals and stayed up late reading stories on the Internet and peppered her OB/GYN with constant questions. She was determined to know as much as she could about her body and the life kindling within._

_A smile caressed her lips. There was more to the pregnancy than just the biological part. She was getting to know her baby, through its movements. It pleased her that the baby always seemed the most active when she was standing in an OR._

_She stepped back and peered around the moving boxes, to look at Owen, sleeping in their bed. He'd done all of the work of packing, so she was letting him rest._

_Her hands went to her stomach again. Somehow, it gave her a rush to know that their DNA had joined together to create a new life. She hoped it would have red hair._

"Aw." Mallory grins and twirls a lock of red hair around her finger. "Rob says he wants us to keep having babies until we have a redhead. So not happening."

"When men can sprout a uterus, they can have all the babies they want."

"I do want the twins," her daughter says softly. "I just also want to know how we're going to make this work."

"Do you want to talk money now? You know that we won't let you starve or go homeless."

"No." Mallory leans her head against her mother's shoulder. "Tell me a story," she requests. "Tell me how the double doctor didn't know how to be a mom."

_"C'mon Chloe, stop crying." Cristina held her baby close, as she paced back and forth in the nursery. "You're dry. You're fed. You're exhausted but you won't go to sleep because you won't stop crying. If you would just stop crying, you'd go to sleep and feel so much better."_

_Chloe continued to howl and Cristina continued to pace, speaking aloud. "I tried the vacuum cleaner but that didn't help so it can't be colic. You don't have a fever. You tugged on your ears and I checked them and they're clean, no sign of infection. Your throat looks good, your lungs are clear and your bowels are moving. Physically, there is nothing wrong with you that a good night's sleep won't fix."_

_Her eyes flickered to the clock. "Daddy is working the graveyard shift and can't come home. Auntie Meredith is busy with her own kids, I can't call her at 4 friggin' o'clock in the morning. I can't call anyone. I'm Cristina Yang, I'm a brilliant doctor, and I don't know how to make you stop crying."_

"I actually felt sorry for Chloe sometimes," Cristina admits. "She had me as a mother. Here was this innocent little baby, who had a newbie taking care of her."

_"When Daddy gets home, he'll know what to do. He's a good father, you hit the jackpot with him. You're such a daddy's girl. I'm not jealous, I'm really not. You know which of us is the good parent."_

"Drama queen much?" Mallory grins.

"I was exhausted." Cristina smirks. "But you can't deny that both of you are daddy's girls."

"Totally. So what was wrong with Chloe?"

_Tired of pacing around the nursery, Cristina left the room and walked downstairs. "I can't find anything wrong with you with the instruments I have." Her shoulders sagged. "Should I take you into the hospital? Do you need an x-ray? An ultrasound?"_

_Fear crept into her veins, as she started to imagine all of the things that could be wrong with Chloe. Twisted intestines. A brain tumor. Some horrible disease that hadn't been discovered yet and therefore had no cure. "I'm tired, I'm frustrated, my mind is going to a very dark and twisted place."_

_Chloe tugged at an ear again. "I'm going to check your ears and throat one more time." Cristina carried her __upstairs and placed Chloe on her changing table. She put on plastic gloves, angled the reading lamp and tried to get Chloe to keep her head still._

_"Your throat still looks good." Cristina looked at her baby's open mouth and frowned. She saw that Chloe's lower gums were swollen in the front. She tentatively probed the inflamed area, causing Chloe to screech._

_"You're teething!" Relieved, she grinned from ear-to-ear. "Oh Chloe, that's easy. I've been preparing for this – I know what to do!"_

"Teething!" Mallory snorts. "Harper Avery award winner Dr Cristina Yang was thwarted by teething!"

"I kept looking at her throat, not her gums."

_Two hours later, Owen found them curled up in their bed. Chloe was snuggled against Cristina, sleeping. Cristina blinked her eyes as she woke up. "Hey."_

_"Hey." He sat down on the bed and picked up a soggy waffle. "What's this?"_

_"Our girl is sprouting teeth," she yawned. "I didn't know where the teething rings are, so I gave her a frozen waffle to gnaw on. It made her very, very happy."_

_He chuckled. "I think I know where I stored the rings, I'll put some in the fridge."_

_"I didn't think she'd teethe so early," Cristina murmured, lightly touching Chloe's hair. "She's exceptional."_

_"And she's lucky to have a resourceful mother," Owen smiled._

"Did you tell Dad that you freaked out over teething?"

Cristina laughs. "_No._"

"What if the twins are born early? Were you worried about me? Being a preemie?"

"Definitely. There was so much that could go wrong and there were complications. Your lungs weren't fully developed. You had stage two retinopathy of prematurity, but fortunately you didn't get so bad as to need surgery. After your feeding tube, we had to work with an occupational therapist to get you to take a bottle and breastfeed."

_"You're a feisty one, aren't you?" Cristina smiled, settling into her chair as Mallory nursed. This redhaired daughter of hers was demanding and stubborn and difficult, just like her. "That's good. Nothing will ever stop you from getting what you want. And I'll be right behind you. I'll get you the best education possible, and if __necessary, I'll help you hide the bodies of your enemies. You're my girl."_

"Aw." Mallory smiles. "You would help me hide bodies."

"Absolutely."

"How did Chloe react when I was born?"

"Well, she didn't quite understand at first. It was hard for her when I had to stay in the hospital after your birth, but we had friends and family who brought her in for lots of visits. While you were in the NICU, she got to spend some weekends with the Shepherds and they kept her busy. When you finally came home, she'd seen you many times and was used to the idea of you."

"Tell me another story. Tell me about me and Chloe."

_Cristina held baby Mallory, as she looked in the fridge and spoke to Chloe. "Daddy left us some mac and cheese, do you want that for supper?"_

_"No." The toddler tugged on her leg. "When Daddy coming back?"_

_"Tomorrow." Cristina smiled down at her. "We'll go to the airport tomorrow night and pick him up after his conference. He's bringing us presents."_

_Mallory burped and then spit up milk, soaking her outfit. She began to whimper._

_"Oh, Mal." Cristina grabbed a dishcloth and mopped up the mess. "I'm going to pop you into a bath. We don't want Daddy to come home and find a stinky baby."_

_"Bath?" Chloe looked hopeful. "I wanna bath."_

_"You can have a bath too, after supper." Rocking Mallory, Cristina sighed. "What do you want to eat?"_

_"Bath!"_

_Cristina looked at her and then the baby. "Do … you want to take a bath with Mallory? Before supper?"_

_Chloe jumped up and down, excited. "I wanna bath!"_

_"Okay!" Cristina led Chloe upstairs into the family bathroom. She placed Mallory down on the bathmat and started running the water. Mallory gurgled and reached up towards Chloe._

_"Look, Mallory knows who you are," Cristina said. "She likes you."_

_"She likes me?" Chloe moved closer and let Mallory grab her hands._

_"Yes, she does. She's old enough to recognize people and she likes seeing us. See how she's smiling at you?"_

_Chloe dimpled. "Nice baby."_

_"She is."_

_"Bubbles?" Chloe looked hopefully at the tub. "Pwease?"_

_"Sure!" Cristina poured some bubble liquid into the water, then turned and helped Chloe get naked. Carefully, she helped her into the tub._

_"Your turn." Cristina undressed Mallory, then very gently, placed her in the tub too. "Look at you, having your first big girl bath. With your sister."_

_The redhaired girl giggled as she tried to grab the bubbles with her tiny hands._

_Cristina pulled up a small stool to sit on, and kept a protective hand on Mallory's back. Chloe moved closer to her sister, laughing. Happy, Mallory reached for Chloe's face. Chloe smiled and let her sister pat her cheeks._

_"She's using her hands to get to know you better," Cristina observed. She smiled, watching Mallory examine the bubbles. Her preemie baby was thriving, and doing so well._

_Laughing, Mallory flung up her arms, and started to tip backwards. Cristina held onto her until she was sure her daughter could sit up by herself again._

_Chloe scooped up a handful of bubbles and placed them on the top of Mallory's head. "She's a pwincess." She looked up at Cristina. "I wanna watch __**Brave **__after my bath."_

_"How about tomorrow night before we go get Daddy?"_

_"Okay." Smiling, Chloe leaned forward and gently kissed Mallory's forehead. Biting her lip, Cristina drank in the scene. She knew that in the future, there would be fighting and discord. But right now, her two daughters were at peace with each other._

"Cute!" Mallory grins. "Diego told me that Papa Bear has picked out a potential suitor for Chloe. I saw 'the boy next door' yesterday. He's yummy."

"Isn't he? Now we just need to get Chloe to meet him."

"I hope it works out. Because you and I both know that she has an exceptional talent for dating the wrong guys. Clearly, she needs help."

Her mother chuckles. "You'd think she could've found one nice guy at Harvard. But no, she finds the assholes, everytime."

They look up as the front door opens, and their family spills in, laughing.

"Hey grouch." Diego waves at Mallory. "What's the storm warning?"

"I'm fine," his sister grins. "Mom's been preparing me for motherhood by telling me what a horrible mother she was."

"Did I say horrible?" Cristina protests. "I said I was a newbie."

"We were both new to the jobs," Owen grins, before bending over and kissing his wife. "Did you have breakfast yet?"

"Nope. You can make me some."

"As you wish."

Rob flops down across from Mallory. "Your dad made me run."

"I see you lived."

"Barely."

Chloe sits down across from Cristina and Mallory. "Do I want to know what stories she's been telling?"

"Nothing that embarrasses you – yet," Cristina teases. "I'm preparing Mallory to be less than perfect as a parent."

_Cristina bounded up the steps of Seattle's finest private school, while Chloe followed, more slowly. "Okay, pose in front of the door." Cristina pointed to where she wanted Chloe to stand, as she pulled out her camera. Meekly, Chloe obeyed, tugging at the collar of her new uniform shirt. "Say 'surgery'!"_

_Chloe briefly smiled for the camera. "I wish Daddy and Mallory were here."_

_"Dad got called into surgery and Mallory would just get in the way," Cristina said. "Today is your day, your first day of kindergarten. I've been looking forward to this for years!" Briskly, she stood up and opened the door. "Come on!" She marched through it as Chloe struggled to keep up. They went to Chloe's classroom._

_"Here we are!" Cristina smiled proudly. "We've picked out the best school with the best teacher. Chloe, you are on your way!" She glanced at her older daughter … and was startled to see her looking miserable._

_"What's wrong?" Cristina crouched by her and placed a hand on her forehead. "You're not sick, are you? How does your stomach feel?"_

_Tears pooled in Chloe's brown eyes. "What if nobody likes me?"_

_Speechless, Cristina stared at her._

_"Why can't I go to JoJo's school?" Chloe whimpered. "Why do I have to go to this one?"_

_Cristina reached out and touched her face, stumbling for words. "Because this is the best school, that's why."_

_"I don't know anyone here," Chloe sobbed. "I don't like this school."_

_" … But you liked it when we were here last week … you liked meeting your teacher …"_

_Chloe shook her head. "I want to go to JoJo's school!"_

_Shocked, Cristina looked at her daughter as if seeing her for the first time. "Don't you want the best …?" Mentally, she began to chide herself. In her determination to provide a superior education for her daughter, she'd forgotten that she was dealing with a five year old. With wants and needs separate from her own._

_"I'm sorry … this school is … they teach in an interactive way to make learning fun! You get to be in smaller classes … so it will be easier to spend time with your classmates and your teacher … you like to learn ..." Cristina gently wiped the tears off of Chloe's face. "We think this school will match your style of learning best..."_

_Chloe nodded, still looking miserable._

_"Hey …" Cristina pointed to a little boy sitting at a table. "There's someone by himself. Maybe we could go over, maybe he'd like it if you talked with him?"_

_Chloe sniffled and shrugged. She allowed Cristina to guide her over to the table and make introductions with the other student, whose name was Ahmed. Cristina stepped out into the hall to allow the children to talk. She quickly pulled out her phone and called Meredith._

_"Mer, I have a parental emergency. Chloe is upset that she's not going to JoJo's school."_

_"JoJo is crying because she isn't going to Chloe's school." The two women laughed._

_"You know what the answer is," Meredith said. "Transfer Chloe to our school."_

_"Oh hell no. This school is much better then yours."_

_"It's too far away! We'd be spending forever in traffic."_

_Cristina smirked. "Be honest. They wouldn't accept JoJo as a student, right?"_

_Meredith gasped. "Cristina!" Sounds of wailing could be heard in the background. "Look, I have to go. Call me later."_

_"Okay." Cristina put her phone away and stepped back into the classroom. She sighed at Chloe's unhappy expression._

_"Rough start?" The kindergarten teacher approached Cristina. "The first day can be really hard."_

_"Chloe's favorite color is pink," Cristina said in a rush. "She loves the beach and puppies and model trains. She likes to draw but what she really loves is building things, or taking things apart to see how they work. She prefers everything to be in its place, she helps her father clean up and her room is always tidy. She pretends she can't stand her little sister but she loves her."_

_The teacher smiled patiently._

_"She's very special," Cristina informed her. "She's upset because her best friend is going to another school, which isn't as good as this one. She can be shy and sometimes needs a little coaxing, but when she's doing something she loves, she lights up and can't stop talking about it."_

_"I'll take very good care of her."_

_Cristina nodded. "I told her she might not want to boast about how well she can read."_

_"Dr Yang, everyone in this class can already -" Seeing Cristina's expression change, the teacher stood straighter. "I'll make sure she doesn't ostracize herself with her advanced skills."_

_"Thank you." Cristina walked over to the table, where Chloe was already giggling with her new friend. "Chloe, I cleared my schedule for today, I could stick around if you like ..."_

_"No, I'll be fine. I'm playing with Ahmed." Chloe turned her attention back to her classmate._

_"Are you sure?" She crouched down next to the small table. "It's really not a problem."_

_"Mom!" Chloe pouted. "I'm not a baby."_

_Cristina grinned. "I know. You're my big girl. Can I get a hug before I go?"_

_Smiling, Chloe briefly flung her small arms around her mother's neck. "Bye Mommy."_

_"I'll pick you up in a few hours." Reluctantly, she stood and walked to the door of the classroom. Cristina allowed herself one last proud glance at her daughter, before leaving._

"Ahmed!" Chloe grins. "He was my best friend in that school. Mom was so proud of me for defying gender stereotypes."

"And thus Chloe was on the road to academic glory," Cristina beams. "And this spring – she'll graduate from Harvard Medical School. _Summa cum laude_."

"And then her internship – not that she'll tell anybody where she's applied or what she thinks her specialty will be." Owen hands Cristina a mug of coffee and places a plate in front of her.

Chloe rolls her eyes. "Because I don't want you two working your networks and pulling strings to get me preferential treatment."

"We're just curious," her father protests, settling down beside Cristina. "And once you start working, you'll want every advantage you have to rise above your fellow interns."

"Well maybe if you two will lay off, maybe my Christmas present to you will be telling you what I think my specialty will be," Chloe smirks. She stands up and heads for the stairs. "Time for my shower."

"Tell me another story," Mallory requests of Cristina. "What was it like when you decided to adopt Diego?"

"Quite a few people thought we were crazy..."

_Alex Karev found Cristina in the NICU, sitting with a small baby who was sucking his thumb vigorously._

_"Hey." He waved. "I have some free time before I go back to Florida. Meredith said you have news you wanted to share?"_

_"Hey." Cristina smiled at the baby in her arms. "I want you to meet Diego. He was abandoned under the Safe __Haven law. HIV+. And until yesterday, he was one of my patients. He's recovered from surgery to repair ventricular septal defects."_

_"You want me to examine him?"_

_She shook her head. "Owen and I filed applications this morning ... to foster and adopt him."_

_Surprised, Alex sat down. "Wow."_

_"I know." She shrugged happily. "He's a charmer."_

_He looked at the brown-skinned boy with dark eyes and hair. "He's cute. But ... three kids? You?"_

_Cristina smiled quietly. "We decided we could make room for one more."_

_"Three kids?" Alex grinned. "You?!"_

_"Shut up." She looked up at him. "When are you going to produce some evil spawn?"_

_He looked away briefly. "That's not in my cards."_

_"Well, children aren't for everyone," Cristina acknowledged. "But they're also not the worst thing in the world."_

_"But ... you? __**Three **__kids?"_

_"My girls are exceptional. It's a privilege to be raising two future superwomen." Cristina grinned. "And we think this little guy has a lot of potential too. Maybe we also want to help him beat the odds and grow up to also be exceptional."_

_She smiled at Diego. "Maybe we thought our family was complete, until we really seriously considered adopting him and then we realized that he belongs with us and it would be impossible __**not **__to bring him home."_

_Alex smirked and held out his arms. "Let me hold him."_

_She gently transferred Diego into Alex's arms._

_"Hey kid." He grinned at the boy, who looked up at him curiously. "You're a lucky fellow. That lady there can be really mean, but she's a good mom. She's going to yell at you but she's also going to push you to do your best and you're going to grow up awesome."_

_Cristina smiled wistfully, as she watched Alex. She wondered if he had any idea of what a good father he would __be._

"Why hasn't Alex had any kids?" Rob says. "He's great with them."

"Alex ... had to assume a lot of responsibility at a young age," Cristina carefully replies. "I think he just likes to be unfettered."

"That's too bad." Rob nudges Mallory's knee. "Hey, next time one of us talks to JoJo, we should ask her how Alex is doing. They keep in touch, right?"

"Right." Mallory sits up straighter and looks away.

Cristina raises an eyebrow but says nothing, not with Rob in the room. "You know, Mallory had ... lots of feelings about Diego after we brought him home."

_Mallory's eyes narrowed as she took in the scene in the living room. Grandma Hunt was bouncing Diego on her knee, trying to get him to stop crying. Her father picked up scattered toys, while her mother stood by, holding a freshly warmed bottle._

_"Can someone help me with my homework?" She yelled over Diego's cries._

_"In a minute," Cristina muttered, never taking her eyes off of Diego._

_"I want help now!"_

_"I'm sorry, but we're busy," Owen frowned. "You can wait. Five minutes."_

_She stamped a tiny foot. "Send him back!"_

_Her parents exchanged a glance, accustomed to her constantly changing feelings about her new little brother._

_"You liked him this morning when he smiled at you," Owen reminded her._

_"I don't like him now," she grumbled. "I never want to see him again."_

_"What do you want us to do?" Cristina asked her. "Do you want us to call the social worker and tell her to come get him?"_

_"Tell her to come get him now!" She stamped her feet again._

_"Are you really sure that's what you want?" Owen looked amused._

_"Yes," she said firmly. "I'm neglected!"_

_Her parents chuckled, which just infuriated her further. "I want him gone!"_

_"Okay." Impulsively, Cristina pulled out her phone and dialled Meredith. "Hello Social Services? Yes, this is Cristina Yang. We don't want Diego any more. Can you come get him?"_

_"What the hell are you talking about?" Meredith asked._

_"You can come get him tonight? That's excellent. See you soon." Cristina smiled and ended the call. "Okay, we'll pack up his stuff. Owen, go upstairs and tell Chloe to come say goodbye."_

_"What?" Mallory blinked. "He's really leaving?"_

_"That's what you want, Hurricane." Cristina patted her head._

_The room went silent. Diego stopped crying and looked around. Confused, Mallory looked at her father, who was putting on a good show of looking sad._

_"I had so many dreams of watching Diego grow up," he sighed heavily. "But you want him gone, so he's going to go away."_

_"Do you think he could stay with me?" Grandma Hunt asked quietly. "He's such a sweet little boy. I don't want to say 'goodbye' to him."_

_"Sorry, Mom." Owen shook his head. "Mallory never wants to see him again. He'll have to go back to foster care."_

_"But …" Mallory sat down, looking very confused. Owen ruffled her hair before going upstairs._

_"I'm sad," Grandma Hunt continued, holding him close. "I thought he'd be such a good little brother to you when he got older, but I guess we'll never see him again."_

_"Say goodbye to him," Cristina nudged Mallory. "Nobody will want to adopt him, so try and give him some nice memories."_

_Her daughter stared at her, wide-eyed. "But ... but ..."_

_Chloe came flying down the stairs, followed by Owen. She ran over to her grandmother and flung herself over Diego. "Goodbye little brother!"_

_Cristina shared a secret smile with her husband, while Chloe continued her charade. "I'm so sad that you're going to leave us! I'll miss you forever!"_

_"But ..." Mallory stared at her sister._

_Cristina crouched down by her. "Mallory, we can't keep doing this. It's very exhausting taking care of him while you try to decide if you hate him or not."_

_"I don't hate him," Mallory said, seriously. "Are you really going to send him back?"_

_"Do you really want us to?"_

_"No." The little girl's eyes filled with tears. "I want him to stay."_

_"Are you sure?" Cristina rubbed her shoulder. "Really sure?"_

_Mallory nodded as her face crumpled up and she began to cry._

_Owen squatted down and hugged Mallory. "We love you, you know. I'm sorry this has been hard for you while we're making adjustments and trying to take care of him."_

_"Call the social worker!" Mallory sobbed. "Before she takes Diego away!"_

_Cristina stood up and turned around, hiding her grin. She dialled Meredith again. "Hello! This is Cristina Yang. We've changed our minds and are going to keep Diego forever and ever."_

_"Well that's a relief," her friend laughed. "I want to hear all about it at lunch tomorrow."_

_"Don't you dare try and take him!" Cristina growled. "We won't let you!" She disconnected the call._

_"She's not going to come?" Mallory looked anxious._

_"No, she's not. We're going to keep him." Cristina smiled._

"Ha ha," Rob chortles. "You thought they were going to take him away!"

"Shut up," Mallory smiles at him. "I was six years old."

She glances at her brother, who is grinning from ear-to-ear. "Oh stop."

"You like me," Diego teases. "You really really like me."

Smirking, she leans forward and ruffles his hair, deliberately messing it up as much as she can.

"Stop that!" He jumps up and away from her, his hands immediately smoothing his hair.

"Behave or I'll make you go shopping with me again," Mallory winks.

"Dad, can I use your shower?" Diego sighs.

"Go ahead." Owen rubs Cristina's shoulders. "Maybe having three kids was a little crazy, but they're good kids."

_Miserable, Cristina huddled under the blankets and coughed. She heard the sounds of children entering her bedroom._

_"Mom?" Chloe sounded worried. "We brought you breakfast in bed."_

_"Dad said it would be good for you!" Mallory added._

_"Happy Mother's Day!" Diego patted her through the blankets._

_"Don't come near me," Cristina croaked. "Save yourselves."_

_"We've got masks on," Mallory giggled. "Come on, you need to eat."_

_Sighing, Cristina stuck her head out. Her three children were standing by the bed, wearing face masks and gloves. Chloe held up a tray._

_"We've got fresh-squeezed orange juice and toast and ginger ale," Mallory informed her. "And if you want anything else, just ask."_

_Diego handed her a pink card. "We made this for you," the six year old solemnly informed her._

_"Aw." She took the card from him. "It says 'Happy Mother's Day' and 'Get Well'. Thank you."_

_Chloe carefully placed the tray on her lap. "Drink your juice, I squeezed it just for you."_

_Cristina smiled feebly, as Owen appeared in the doorway, without a mask. "How're you doing?"_

_"I'm going to die," she informed him morosely. "Keep your distance."_

_Grinning, he sauntered over, then sat down beside her and kissed her. The children made faces at each other._

_"Are you crazy?" Cristina wiped her nose. "You want the plague?"_

_"We're a team," Owen smiled. "If you're going down, I'm going down with you. You have delicious germs."_

_"Ew." Mallory looked disgusted._

_Cristina coughed. "Chloe's only 14, she's too young to take care of her orphaned siblings."_

_"Yeah," Chloe said. "I'd just ship them off to boarding school."_

_Owen's blue eyes twinkled. "I never get sick. I know how to eat healthy, unlike __**some **__people."_

_"Well, don't whine when we both have pneumonia."_

Mallory grins. "Tell Rob what happened next."

_"Mom? Dad?"_

_Owen groaned and pulled the blankets over his head. "Let me sleep."_

_"We brought you food," Chloe called out. She held up a tray as he poked his head out._

_Cristina and Owen coughed and sat up. "Thank you."_

_Wearing a mask, Chloe entered the room and placed the tray on his lap. She was followed by a masked Mallory, who gave Cristina a tray. Diego stood in the doorway and waved at them._

_"I brought you your cold medicine," Mallory informed her parents. "Grandma Hunt said that if you don't take it, we can tickle you into submission."_

_"I'll take it," Cristina grumbled. She swallowed the pills and grimaced._

_Owen blinked at his children, slowly. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"_

_"It's seven o'clock in the evening." Chloe's eyes sparkled above her mask. "You really are sick."_

_"And you said you don't get sick," Mallory teased._

_Diego leaned against the doorframe, looking very concerned. "Do you have the bionic plague?"_

_Cristina coughed before laughing, while Owen just looked miserable._

_"No," he told their son sombrely. "But I've got a man cold. It's almost as bad as the bubonic plague."_

_"Oh here we go." His wife rolled her eyes. "There's no such thing as a man cold. You're just a bigger baby than I am."_

_"You haven't taken your pills yet," Chloe told him, handing him the bottle. "Here."_

_"I don't want to take them," he muttered. "They don't help. Just leave me here to die in peace."_

_"Diego, put on your mask," Chloe instructed, as she lifted up Owen's tray._

_"Wait, where are you going?" Owen feebly lifted an arm, while Diego donned a mask and gloves. "Why did you take the tray?"_

_"You take the pills or we let Diego tickle you." Mallory reminded him. "What's it going to be?"_

_Owen looked at his son, who was eagerly watching him. He sighed. "I don't want to take the pills."_

"_**Cowabunga!**__" Diego ran and leaped onto him. His small fingers reached under Owen's armpits and he began to tickle him, as everyone else laughed._

_"I give, I give!" Owen weakly waved his arms in submission. "Give me something to wash them down with."_

_Mallory smirked as she handed him a glass of orange juice. His three children watched closely as Owen swallowed the pills._

_"Can I have the tray back?" Owen tilted his head and stuck out his lower lip. "Have pity on me, I have a man cold."_

Cristina raises an eyebrow at Rob, who is grinning widely. "What?"

"My kids are going to have cool grandparents," he smiles. "I never thought of it until now. Hell, I never imagined that Uncle Owen and Aunt Cristina were going to be my in-laws."

"You really didn't know the Hurricane had a crush on you?" Cristina asks.

"Nope. At that age, I was much too cool to notice a girl so much younger than me."

"And that was a good thing," Owen smiles. "You wouldn't have wanted to deal with me before she was 18."

"She did try to get Rob's attention once ..." Cristina elbows Mallory.

_Cristina sighed, as she neared the campground. She reminded herself that her marriage was a partnership, and if her husband wanted her to join them on the rare Father's Day weekend with good weather, she should indulge him. He'd been a good sport about her performing surgery first, she could reward him with her presence._

_Derek's new trailer gleamed in the sun as she pulled into the campsite. She saw Robbie sitting outside, doing something with the very latest in tablet technology. He barely looked up when she called out in greeting._

_"I hear you've decided on John Hopkins," she said, pulling her bag out of the trunk. "Good choice."_

_"Thanks," he said, eyes on the device._

_Cristina turned towards the battered tent that Owen refused to replace. She raised her eyebrows as Mallory crawled out of it. Her 14 year old daughter was wearing a very skimpy bikini top with brief denim shorts._

"She was what?" Owen frowns.

_"Mom!" Mallory blushed. "I didn't hear you drive in."_

"_**In the tent now**__," Cristina hissed, moving towards her. To her relief, Robbie didn't look up, as she hustled Mallory out of his view and into the tent._

_"What?" Pretending to be casual, Mallory crossed her arms in front of herself. "What's wrong?"_

_"Who saw you wearing that?" Cristina pointed to the bits of string and fabric barely covering her daughter. "Where did you get that?"_

_"Nobody saw it," Mallory answered defensively. "I bought it with my babysitting money. It's really hot out here and I thought-"_

_"You thought you'd parade yourself in front of Robbie," Cristina hissed. "Not. Happening."_

_"Mom!" He daughter continued to play dumb. "He's a family friend, I didn't think-"_

_"Cut the crap." Cristina leaned forward until she was in Mallory's face. "I've seen the way you look at him. You like him. Not as a family friend, you 'like him' like him. But he's too old for you so you need to cover up around him. And Uncle Derek-"_

_"Oh ew!"_

_"And every man, especially your father!" Cristina pointed to the bikini top again. "I hope you kept the receipt because you are too young to be wearing that!"_

_Mallory stared at her. "You're kidding."_

_"There is nothing funny about this at all." Cristina stepped back and gathered her thoughts. "Look ... Robbie just turned 18. He's interested in girls his own age. And, there are laws against an 18 year old dating a 14 year old."_

_Her daughter's face fell._

"I didn't think about that little detail," Mallory smiles sheepishly.

_"If he had seen you wearing this ... he would've done the right thing and looked away," Cristina continued, trying to keep her voice calm. "You are the daughter of his parents' best friends and he knows that it isn't right for him to be messing with someone as young as you. He'd avoid you. Is that what you want?"_

_Mallory looked down. "He's going away to college. I just ... wanted him to notice me."_

_"You're too young for him right now." Cristina put her fingers under Mallory's chin, and forced her daughter to look at her. "You're a very pretty girl and you're going to be a beautiful woman. You should be trying to date boys your age."_

_"I only want him." The young girl's eyes filled with tears. "I love him, Mom. He's perfect, and he's going away to college and I'm not going to see him all the time then and I want him to remember me and -"_

"You're definitely memorable," Rob grins. "I wouldn't have forgotten _that_."

_"You have to wait until you're 18," her mother soothed. "He'd remember you for the wrong reasons if you tried to flirt with him.."_

_"But Mom!"_

_"Put this on." Cristina picked up a t-shirt and handed it to her. "Mallory ... how do you think Papa Bear would react if he saw you wearing that?"_

_"He'd get over it," Mallory shrugged._

"I would not," Owen insists.

_"He would not!" Cristina scowled. "You think that just because you have your father twisted around your pinky finger that you can get away with anything. When it comes to your safety, your dad won't back down and he wouldn't 'get over it'. You think he's annoying now with how protective he is? If he knew you want to get Robbie to notice you, he'd see to it that you never saw Robbie again."_

_Stunned and a little sulky, Mallory looked away._

"True that," Owen grins. "You would never have been allowed to go to Paris on my dime, either."

"And so I gave her a speech about how no woman ever deserves to be attacked, no matter what she's wearing, but creeps don't think like that." Cristina sighs. "I saved her from herself."

"And I returned the bikini and Mom started going through my room to check for any more inappropriate items of clothing," Mallory protests.

"Wow." Rob shakes his head. "I really had no idea. I would've avoided Mallory had Cristina not caught her."

His wife pouts, so he places a hand on her leg. "You're cute, but even as a horny 18 year old, I would've known you were off-limits. Papa Bear taught me how to shoot a gun, you know. That means he knows how to use one."

Owen chuckles. "My plan worked."

"I promise you that no 14 year old of mine will wear a teeny bikini," Mallory grins at Rob, touching her stomach.

"Okay, time to start lunch." Owen stands up and stretches. "Hurricane, do you want to cook and yell at everyone, or stay here and rest?"

"Ha ha." Mallory smiles. "I'll stay here."

"I'm going to call my parents." Rob kisses her before leaving the room with Owen.

"You feeling okay?" Cristina peers at Mallory. "You're letting someone else cook again?"

Sighing, Mallory leans against her again. "I still can't believe I'm having twins."

"Ah."

The young woman looks up at her mother. "Are you disappointed in me?"

Startled, Cristina stares. "No. Why would you ever say that?"

"Because earlier, I said that I'm going to quit my job to stay home with the babies rather than stick them in some expensive daycare. I'm putting my career on hold until they go to school."

"Mallory ..." Cristina takes her hand. "Staying home with kids is a job. It's going to be very, very hard with twins, especially when Rob will be an intern. But I know that you can do it. You always get what you want."

Her daughter smiles a little. "Thanks."

"And you can go back to work at a later time, and reach your full potential as a Culinary Goddess then."

"It's not just about the money," Mallory admits. "In my master plan, I was going to get pregnant when we could afford for me to stay home. So I already know that I don't want to put them in a daycare at all."

"Then don't!" Cristina pauses. "Are you mad that I didn't stay home with you?"

"Ha!" Mallory grins. "Mom, being a Cardio Goddess is so much a part of you. You would've been miserable. I don't know how you did it, to be honest. Having a brilliant career and three brilliant kids."

"I'm Wonder Woman," Cristina smirks. "Seriously, I did try. I wanted to be at every ballet recital and soccer game and martial arts competition. But-"

"But you save lives and you pioneer new surgical techniques because that is who you are." Her daughter smiles. "You're a good mother."

"And you'll be a great mom. You're going to be a fun mother. The other moms will hate you because you'll throw the best parties and their kids will want to hang out at your house because you'll have the best snacks."

"Aw." Mallory smirks. "Look at us. We're getting mushy."

"I could tell you about the surgery that's going to win me a second Harper Avery award?"

"Please do."

**Author's notes – thanks to ****lovemesomeowen**** for the bad ass beta reading. And thank you to milee for the prompt of "Chloe's first day of school".**


	6. The First Halloween

Listlessly, Cristina follows Owen and Chloe through a mall. All of the Halloween decorations irk her. She wants to tear down the ghosts and kick over the tombstones and maybe punch a few pumpkins. She has just buried her mother, and there is nothing to celebrate.

Chloe grins at her over Owen's shoulder, safe in his arms. Cristina smiles a little and picks up her pace. It's taking everything in her power to not share her dark mood with her baby.

"Look!" Owen points to a store. "Halloween costumes!" He eagerly walks over to the display racks.

"Really?" Cristina tenses as she follows. "We're doing that? She's ten months old."

"Of course!" He grins, boyishly. "I've been looking forward to trick-or-treating with our little lady."

"Uh huh." She shuffles her feet. "I ... need a coffee."

Owen looks at her for a long moment. "You don't want to come in?"

Cristina shakes her head and looks to the side.

"Okay, why don't you go to the coffee shop around the corner?" Owen softly touches her arm. "We'll come find you after."

She nods and walks away.

Cristina loses track of time as she's engrossed in a book on her tablet. When Chloe and Owen appear, he's grinning with delight and holding a big bag.

Cristina puts on a smile as he hands Chloe to her. Their daughter cuddles up to her. "So what costume did Daddy buy for you?"

Chuckling, Owen opens the shopping bag. "She's going to be a lady bug!" He pulls out a plastic bag filled with red and black material.

Cristina looks at the picture on the package, then at Chloe. "Uh huh."

"I could've bought a princess or girly dress," he points out. "The store was full of them. Instead I went for ... environmentally friendly."

She rolls her eyes.

He winces. "Do you think a _lady_ bug is sexist?"

Cristina shakes her head. "Thank you for not sticking her in a princess dress. Or something _pink_."

"Then what is it? Do you hate Halloween?"

"Mom would've loved to see Chloe in her first Halloween costume," Cristina says quietly, holding her daughter close.

Owen puts the bag down and then wraps his arms around Cristina and Chloe.

"I hate the decorations," Cristina mutters. "I hate the stupid spider webs and the stupid witches and the stupid glittery things and the stupid pumpkins ... and I _really_ hate the ghosts and the skeletons and the tombstones. It's ghoulish and I hate all of it."

"Okay okay," he whispers. "We won't decorate the house. We won't do anything you don't want to do. I'll return the costume."

"Don't." She pulls Chloe closer. "I want her to have fun. I want _you _to have fun with her. Just ... don't decorate. Or make me hand out candy."

"Whatever you want." He kisses her cheek before pulling away. "I'll take her to a mall or a few houses for trick-or-treating, and you can work a later shift or go to a movie or ... you choose."

Cristina nods. "Thank you."

He smiles tentatively. "Do you hate Christmas trees?"

"Nope." Chloe starts to fuss, so Cristina puts her down on the floor. Instead of sitting, Chloe grabs the chair and remains standing, wobbling a little. She looks up at her parents and smiles proudly, her brown eyes sparkling.

"Look at our big girl. So close to walking now," Owen grins.

"She's the best of both of us," Cristina says softly. "My brains, my looks, your ... good sense of humour. She's not cranky like me, thank god."

Owen takes her hand. "We hit the jackpot."

"We sure did." Cristina leans in and kisses Owen. "I think you chose very wisely, she will be an adorable lady bug. Well done, Daddy."

"Thank you." Owen squeezes Cristina's hand. "I think I chose _you_ very wisely too."

Cristina smirks. "Yes. Yes, you did."

Owen cracks up, the sound of his laughter filling the coffee shop. Chloe giggles, caught up in Owen's infectious good mood. Cristina thinks again of her mother and how she would love the scene before her. And then she smiles, letting her family's laughter lift her spirits, savoring being with the two most important people in her world.


End file.
